Follow along on this year's bear hunt

Finally drew a Minnesota Bear tag this year and I thought it would be fun to do a Vlog every 3-4 days of the baiting and the season. Here's the first installment. If you're interested in following along, hit the subscribe link and activate the bell to get a notification each time a new video is up. Enjoy!

Looking forward to watching!

That's so exciting! Can't wait to see what you get

I wasn't going to check them until tomorrow but we had quite a rain last night so I'm going to pull the cards and put some more lure on them today. I'll try to have a short video up by the end of the day.

Thank you for sharing your process and procedure. We have our "get away home" in north central WI and we hunt in a large section of the national forest that has very little private land. It is incredible the amount of work, time spent and tons of bait that are used to bait the bears and work on training the dogs. All that is a small investment when one looks at the trucks, kennels, dogs, and all the technology etc. I am not a bear hunter but respect the commitment made by those that are heavily involved in the whole process.

Bryce

The weather is good the next few days for bear movement, we should have some more bear pics and videos on the trail cams this week.

Great video. As a half deaf old guy I really appreciate the closed captioning.

Bear baits and grandsons! I'm not going to be able to do that for maybe 4-5 years (oldest is only 2). Looks like fun times Bernie.

I like to involve the kids early on, but once it gets close to bear season and I have mature bears hitting the bait, the only ones who go to the baits are the people who will be hunting. Kids love being in the woods and it's great experience for them. They love the trail cams and the 4-wheeler rides.

Good thread!

6 years, I thought 4 years in my area (51) was bad! I drew this year and haven't got around to starting the bait yet. There looks to be very little natural food in the woods so not too concerned about getting on it right away.

Have you had good luck with the licorice? When I've used it in the past the bears loved it. Problem was, they came and in grabbed a gob of it and left to eat it.

Great thread, I will be following for sure.

Some good looking bait ya got going there.. I wish WI bait laws was more like MN as I hunted over there couple times back in late 90s. I just got started this last Saturday looking for a bear here in WI..Got this guy coming to one of my baits. Just need to get him there during shooting time..It's hard to do a do it your self here in WI if you don't live right close to where you bait. Hard to compete with guides and locals..They do lot of running to woods a do it your self-er can't..
Will enjoy following your hunt...



Mac

Lots of natural foods around here, tons of acorns and the hazelnuts are loaded. I get the baits going ASAP and hope to get the bears on my baits before anyone else gets them.

The licorice makes good filler but it doesn't keep the bears coming back like pastries and trail mix do. I like the licorice because it gives them a reward for coming to the bait even if the other stuff runs out. I have three colors, red, orange and black and they seem to like them all about the same.

Usually when a bear comes in and grabs something to eat then sneaks back into the bushes to eat it, that means there's a more dominant bear in the area.

This big boy was a nice surprise. Three shooter bears on the one bait. The others are slow.

The last one is a dandy! I notice that bear's pelage is very short. I have seen many bear like that over the years, and they are almost always bear of considerable bulk, rarely mediums or spikehorn sized bruins. Last year I baited (2017) I had a couple big fellas at one bait that were mangy. One of them was literally about bald from the armpits back. That bear started showing a 5 o'clock shadow after a bit, then by the time season was on it had that short bristly hair all over the previously bare areas. I mounted a big one years ago for a downstate hunter that was covered in that same 1/4 inch long bristle-like hair on the back 2/3. I now believe he'd suffered mange like these bear I'd had coming in in '17. Any theories out there as to why the big ole bear seem to have lousy coats like that?

I have seen mangy bears before but I don't think this one's that bad. seems to me it's the camera angle and the flash that makes it look that way in the one video. He looks pretty good from the side.

Are fruits and vegetables good for bear bait?

Some fruits are very good, they are good to mix in and I use them when I can get them. Apples are great, watermelon and peaches have been good for me when I have been able to get them from a fruit stand that has some stuff that's gone bad. Sweet corn works too.

Well this was pretty creepy.

Anyone watching this? Hoping it's fun for some of you to follow along. Another video coming shortly.

Yes I watch here. I have not signed up for other options. Your vids do show the complexity of trying to get done what one wants to do. Mother nature changes each season and the animals respond accordingly and then add the human aspect and things can get off track in a hurry. Good luck with finding good sites with bears and not unbearable people.

Bryce

I would like to hear some opinions on how big this big boy is, the one with scars of both sides of his face.

Bernie, thanks for posting. Our season starts tomorrow (Maine). We only have 7 hunters tomorrow maybe we'll catch one or two. Your videos make me glad that all of our baiting is on leased sites. The downside is the same locations have been used for the past 20-30 years and most of the really big bears only come in after dark.

Do your MN Bears mess with the cameras? Here I can say that every camera will be messed with every year. Two years ago (camera had wrong date) this 500 pounder was the only bear coming to the bait. Set a trap and caught a 100 pounder.

Thanks for taking the time to post your adventures . Very entertaining . I would think they would hit the licorice harder .

Love the videos. Keep them coming.
Thanks and good luck.

You notice my cameras are in a lock box. That's more for the bears than for potential thieves.

Love the videos! Hopefully I’m only a couple of years away from my 1st Bear tag.

Keep 'em coming Bernie! Those of us that can't bear hunt this year are hunting vicariously through you! Excellent job!

Moosetrot

I have three preference points in Michigan so I will be hunting there in a year or two.

A Bear tag ? You have a shortage on them ? Plenty here for everyone.

Plenty of bears here too but it took me six years to draw the tag in my pocket right now.

I don't care what state it is, they should call those extortion or blackmail points or sore points.

Thanks for taking the time to do this, it's very interesting to someone that's never been around it.

Trying for the Gladwin Unit so I can do it close to home. Kind of annoying there are some leftover 3rd season licenses in the UP every year but if you buy one it brings your points back to zero.

Man that doesn't make sense, if you buy a leftover tag you shouldn't lose your points.

Checked the new bait (vlog #5) when the rain ended today and it had already been hit by two bears, one's a definite shooter. I'll have the video tomorrow.

I'm following too, Bernie!

Need to hire some of those junkies to help you bait. $1 an hour sounds about right...lol

Bernie, what constitutes a shooter by your standards? I have known some hound groups that have had to make some lines in the sand regarding what is a shooter for a bear. Some years there are huge year class groups and one can wind up with a ton of 125-160 lbs. bears in the trees and the hunter wants a larger bear. Most times these issues get resolved prior to the hunt but not always. I know one person got a tag and he gave it to his grandson who was a young teenager. They treed 11 bears and wound up with a 160 lbs. bear as all were that size or smaller and the dog owners needed to move on.

Bryce

A shooter for me is a mature male, but I have killed 29 bears so I can be selective. I'll analyze what I have coming in and try to take the biggest one. If a couple weeks goes by I may settle for a meat bear.

I have three friends who have tags and I'm baiting for them. Two of them have never shot a bear before so they are fine with anything bigger than a yearling. The other guy has killed a few bears so he may try to hold out for a nice one, but he has a history of claiming he is going to hold out for a giant and then he shoots the first thing he sees.

Thank you Bernie for your response. I was in north central WI in the national forest last Friday and at 11:30 AM a medium sized bear crossed the county highway right in front of our car. This corresponds strongly with your comments on one of the videos where you were seeing several bears in broad day light. When you first see them they all look big but when I stopped to see the tracks on the shoulder I would guess mid to upper 100 lbs. based on the track size. Lot of daylight under the belly also.

Bryce

Watching ....only if your shooting a Smoothbore Flintah....

Im sure some of you might have already, but if you enjoy bear hunting come check out All Things Black Bear Hunting on facebook. We are a great group of bear hunters from all over the WORLD.

I'll check it out Brad, also please share my vlog with that group.

All my bears have been killed with a bow.

Very nice.....one like this ?

Very nice videos...enjoy following

Very nice.....one like this ?
[/quote]
No but I'll take that one! Great looking bow.

Thanks for sharing your videos I find them very interesting and helpful. I was wondering how far you have your bait placed away from the "Big Swamp" and how close is too close to set up a bait to their water source in your opinion?

Proximity to water is the number one important factor in a good bait site location and all my baits are within 200 yards of water. The big swamp bait is about 40 yards from the swamp's edge.

Thanks for your reply. Much appreciated!

Just watched all the vlogs Bernie. I liked them.

I’m puzzled though on why there’s parking lots out there on the public land you’re hunting and why you’re setting up a bear bait within walking distance of it.
To me that’s asking for people to follow you around and unwanted attention.
Good luck!

Here's a shooter, Bernie. https://youtu.be/evXZ9n4OBnI

That's where the bears live around here. I work hard to keep my baiting low profile, and no one has been at any of my baits this year. I use a 4-wheeler at some of the baits to get me farther back off the road, but I never use the ATV to drive right up to the bait when baiting or hunting. Too hard to hide your activities, that's why I walk about 100 yards to each bait. This is a strategy that I have developed over nearly 20 years of doing this and it works the best for me.

Having never hunted this way, it seems the prep and cameras are as much or more enjoyment as the hunt.
So much for the super duper magnums, this man uses a bow, impressed.

You said, because that's where they are.
Like raccoons over here, near people.

[b][/b]

TRUE THAT!

Great thread!
I have enjoyed your posts. It is fun to see how you operate. I drew a tag for zone 46 it took 5 years to draw. I put out a single bait when baiting started. I went to the oaks near water where bears are seen during bow season, I have seen a lot of torn up logs from when they dig for ants and insects, paw prints in sand and picture on game cameras of bears. It took 3 days to get a pair of yearling to start working it and track the grease out and get more bears coming in. The rains have been horrible for bear activity but I rebait and grease where they will be walking. When the weather is good bears are coming in every evening. Tonights check showed pictures of up to 7 bears coming in (2 yearlings, 2 boars squaring off, and a pic of 3 bears a once).The yearlings have gone to 6 am visits to avoid competition, and the other bears show up about 6:45 pm. I believe I have 3 or 4 bears I would be very happy taking. Bears are coming in all hours of the day. It is fun being out in the woods baiting and getting ready. Good luck. I hope your crew fills those precious tags.
If I can figure out how to post pictures I will.

What do you keep on your hip ? Just Incase things get a little dicey ?

Bernie-I want to wish you and your buddies a safe, fun, and successful hunt! Thanks for taking us along!

Moosetrot

When does the season open?

Sunday the 1st.

Will you please wear a safety harness ? lol

I do not carry anything. I have learned to observe bear's demeanor and body language so I feel pretty comfortable, but you never know, there have been some situations that made me a little edgy. Couple times while leaving the stand in the dark when bears were right nearby. Sometimes I think it would be a good idea to carry my .45 or bear spray. I wouldn't rule it out.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^? Like they say.......It’s better to have and not need...than it is to need and not have.

I've been hanging treestands without a harness for 45 years and that's a lot of stands hung and tens of thousands of hours in treestands. Never had a problem.
However, I am getting older and less agile. Just this year I started wearing a harness while hunting. Big step for me.

Hi Bernie,

Got a couple of questions for you regarding Gold Rush and Cherry Burst. I'm Bear hunting for the first time. Drew a Wisconsin tag after 11 years.

How often do you dump your cooking oil with GoldRush and sprinkle the cherry burst? I know you do it the first day, but how often do you apply after that?

A little background on my situation:
I'll be hunting private farm land with 15 year old new growth bordered by swamp/river bottom. There are several Bear dens on the property that does not get Bear hunted. Only twice in the past 20 years. No hounds work this area. There is a guy that will start baiting this weekend and will hunt on the 11th. I will then hunt the same stand starting the 14th through the 22nd or I shoot a bear. He will then pick up hunting that stand after I leave.

So he will be baiting afternoons (bakery, frosting, granola), then when I get there the 14th I plan on baiting in the morning with different bait (sweet feed, popcorn, muffins and dumping cooking oil with gold rush, sprinkling cherry burst and spraying trees Gold Mist).

Do you see any issues with me laying all that down being a different bait, and then hunting it the same day?

Wow that's a bunch of loaded questions. First of all, The Gold rush really works good for opening new baits but after the bear start hitting, I discontinue it, just because of convenience more than anything. I just stick with the sprays once I get things rolling.

Regarding changing things up that much right before you hunt; I think it would be a huge mistake. Bears, especially mature bears, become more comfortable with a routine. The more consistent you can be with scent and bait, the better chance you have of holding the bigger bears. Small bears aren't as sophisticated, but if you are going to keep big bears at your bait, you need to bait with high quality bait that they will keep coming back for, and you need to keep the routine of baiting time, bait, scents and lures as consistent as possible. That's it in a nutshell. I have written entire magazine articles and book chapters on this very subject, but you get the idea.

If you don't mind a little hit in what your doing "Turning a NIGHT Bear into a DAY BEAR " Try playing a radio on a talk station on very low volume at night and turn it off first thing in the morning . Couple night of not getting his dinner he will start to show up for breakfast so to speak . " cant say this enough , At a low volume " just high enough that he will shy away not enough he will go some place different ! good luck ...

Thanx Bernie. That Helps!!!

No chance I would ever do that at one of my baits but to each his own.

Last run over the bait line before the season opens was really up and down today. Video to come in a few hours. It'll will be the last VLOG because we hunt tomorrow!

Just wanted to say thanks for all of those who participated.

Put cell phone cams on two baits. It'll be interesting to see how that affects the decision making.

Good luck!!

Good luck Bernie! My son and I are going to be in the stand Sunday night. Baits are going good so the hopes are high. Trying to get my sons 1st MN bear in many tries.

Good luck to all !

Thanks for all the well-wishes we are heading to the stands in a few minutes, should be a fun afternoon and evening. Hope we don't all three get bears that keep us up skinning all night. One or two would be nice.

Would love to see a pic of you guys with a bear!

Dave got his bear at my home place right away this afternoon in the first half hour. I'll get it uploaded tomorrow.

I sat the big swamp bait and at 5:00 the wind switched to the west so I bailed out of there. Tough decision but I believe it was the right decision.

Good Luck Bernie

Bernie what body part plugged that exit whole on Dave's bear? Really nice clean, full pelt on that bear. How was day two at the swamp?

Bryce

The shot was quartering away and intestines plugged the exit wound. I'm headed to the big swamp in a few minutes. I baited it earlier today so when I go to hunt I will not have to walk to the bait, just directly to the stand. I would put my chances of shooting a big bear tonight at about 80% if the thunderstorms hold off until dark. Pretty confident, but of course you just never know.

Opening night was a lucky night for me. Took the big male about 7:30pm!

Nice bear backroadsarcher!
get a chance to throw him on a scale??

my guess is 290lbs.

Nice bear, WTG!

35 lbs too hi. Just a guess.

Osky

Nice bear, congrats! It all comes together,..good reward for all the effort!

What's the word?

Congrats that's a great bear!

Last night I got rained out 45 minutes before dark. I saw the big one I've named Belly Dragger but didn't get a shot. The wind is supposed to go from NW to N about 6:00 so I'll wait and go in late. Expecting to shoot a bear tonight. Very optimistic.

never through him on a scale but we had a very hard time getting him on the cart we use to get them out of the woods. I am short of 300 lbs by 25 and I just know he was bigger than me.

What’s going on ????

Good luck Bernie, I hope you score before bird season opens.

Great Bear!!!

What happened to Bernie

Someone needs to go take a look under his stand to make sure he didnt fall out!

Good luck! Does your odds go way down as the season progresses?

how long does your season last? good luck

Thanks for the update, good stuff, makes me want to bear hunt again.

Im thinking the belly dragger will be tough to kill now. It’ll most likely circle the bait from a distance checking for your scent. More than likely it’s heard you exiting by now.

Sometimes a honey burn helps.

I used a plastic bottle filled with liquid smoke to fog the bait site before climbing in my stand.

The biggest tip I can share with you is to bait a river edge and hunt from the opposite side. Placing stands along lake shore so your back is tight to the lake is also a good setup.

Nothing is more frustrating than to watch a big bear hang up just out of bow range. Sometimes they’ll just sit down and wait you out.

You’ve got some beauties coming in. Good luck!!

I’ve heard of people leaving a shirt or something with sent in the stand so the bears get “used” to your smell. Is that a valid tactic or do you just risk ruining the whole bait? I’ve never hunted for bears before but called a small cinammon bear in to 10yds today while archery elk hunting. There was a bush between us so didn’t have a shot before he bailed. Good luck!!! I’ve enjoyed following along.

Big bears tend figure out the program more but also, other people who are baiting quit so it's a tradeoff. Days are also getting shorter which means legal shooting hours activity is tougher.

I know a guy who does that and he has shot quite a few bears but not many mature ones. Personally I think it's best to minimize the amount of your scent to make the bears feel more comfortable. They know how old your scent is.

Ken mentions it above, best if you can set up so the bears cannot jump your back trail at all. Ken points out some ways, there are others.
I had a fellow here some years ago who looked back from his stand and saw a large bear checking his back trail about a half hour befor sunset.
The next evening I went up with him and made a somewhat noisy exit about 45 minutes before sunset. He shot the bear half an hour later coming in to the bait.
Big bears hole up nearer the baits they like than you think, particularly if you set them up properly. They hover, hear, and know. They can be fooled.

Osky

* to be clear I try to leave a bait as quiet as possible. In the above situation when I say noisy I mean snapping a branch here and there, gently shaking a bush... Get too crazy and I think you'd spook the bear good.

I have written about that quite a bit both in my book and in magazine articles. In this particular area, there's no way to block off your back or use an obstruction. I really love the way this bait site is set up and the fact that I have 8 bears including 3 big ones coming proves it. Bottom line is this: the bears do what they want. I'm being very patient and staying out of there except to bait for the time being. It seems to be paying off as the bears are more comfortable and starting to come in earlier. The wind should be good today so if it's not raining I may make my move tonight. Appreciate the input.

keep posting i enjoy following

Wow. How exciting. Great Video work. Love that you are doing this.

I'm leaving tomorrow for my Bear hunt. Another hunter and myself are hunting the same stand. He will hunt Friday (tomorrow). I will hunt Saturday through the week. If he doesn't shoot one Friday he will then hunt after I am done.

Got a Question.

When a Bear is taken on a bait station, how soon will other bears return?

Should we bait heavy and leave the stand unoccupied for a few days after, before the next hunter hunts? What do guides do in this situation?

Thanx again for the videos. They are awesome!!!

My sons 1st MN bear in many tries. Taken with bow, one happy dad I am.

I was fortunate enough to shoot a dandy on opening night. The bear didn't go more than 30 yards from the bait. We had an atv and 8 people In there where we recovered the bear and eventually got him out. The next day I went back to get my stand, camera, sign....the bait was cleaned out and the camera showed that another bear was on the bait about 2 hours later.

Congrats to your son on the nice bear, backroadsarcher!

Moosetrot

Congratulations. I have had bear attack my dead bear. Shoot bears on the same bait the next day. At my buddies in Canada we have multiples off the same bait.

X2, that's awesome!

Really depends. Big mature bears usually take a day or two to settle back down, depending on how much disturbance you made getting the bear out. If you have people come in around the bait station, leaving a bunch of new scent and dragging the bear out, for example, it's going to take some time. Smaller bears often come back pretty quick because they have to eat when they can, which usually isn't prime time when the bigger ones are in the area.

Thanks for continuing the bear season saga for us. You stated earlier that you have harvested many bears so I feel that that following your original plan is what you said you wanted to do so follow through with that as far and long as you care to.
I am not familiar with bear baiting and seeing bears eat etc. With all we hear regarding how bears feed and eat I was surprised to see that all the ones we have seen are not gulping food down or engorging themselves rapidly.
That may be due to their being leery either about humans or other bears. I know I have seen corn fields where bear have eaten and they look like a tornado has gone through.

Bryce

Just keep in mind that things are WAY different here in Minnesota on pressured public land than they are in wilderness areas of Canada. The bears react totally different. This video is an example. Especially the end.

Congratulations. What great bear, all on quality video. Great memories there.

Thanks for the input, I think that's good advice. When/if I decide it's time to pull the trigger on a lesser bear, that will be my choice.

My priorities have changed over the years. I have killed 29 bears with a bow. I've been directly involved with around 100 more for friends and family. I have a desire to shoot mature males because they are the hardest. At this point in my life I really appreciate hearing that others are enjoying following along and I get just as much or more pleasure out of knowing that I'm helping others be successful, as I get when I am successful.

Got a feeling tonight's the night.

Good luck Bernie ...... It has been fun following your adventures .... Now go stick big slick ...

Yup.....it’s all in the chase .....you’ve gotten plenty of bears. Matching wits with the elusive ones...is the game you play now. Heck...I doubt you’d be happy with anything less....and wouldnt lose any sleep either..

Right on. The only other aspect to that is I like bear meat and if it comes down to the wire I'll probably take a meat bear rather than eat tag sandwich, but I do have some bear meat in the freezer so that's a factor too.

When is the last time you got pics of the large one your after, the 10th or just before?

Osky

You'll find out on today's video.

Well, I'll just put this out there.

Hey man, that was a great video and shows your character. I applaud you for posting that. I have only been on one bear hunt in my life, in 93. I missed a bear that looked even bigger than belly dragger because of a era on my part. During the trip up, somehow my scope got bumped (borrowed rifle) and I did not check it up there to make sure all was well before I went out. Guys that post like you did are a huge help, great job.

I understand your reluctance to share, but kudos to you for doing so. So many guys practice right up to season opener and for many of the reasons you gave stop shooting as the season goes along. Good luck as the season continues, it's been fun following along.


WS

Dang that’s tough man! I’m gonna shoot my bow today now to make sure my sights are still on. That can happen to all of us.
I’m glad you showed and talked about the bad shot. Would have been cool to see that side camera view in slow motion!

99.9 % of the hunters would not have the balls to post a video like that. And Yes shots like that ( we’ve all had them) will run through your mind for a while.....But “The Game is Still On”.... be it this season or next. All the 29 bear harvests are long forgotten.....but this one stings a little ...and it should. In a perfect world...the out come would have been different....but we don’t live there. Love the clear video....time to regroup ....Belly Dragger 1 ...Bernie 0 ..at Halftime....

I hope your luck turns around and all your work pays off for you.

Wow... that thing is a tank. You’ll get him yet.

i feel your pain. first time i hunted bear in minnesota , i shot over the same bear 3 times while he just stood there eating . after it was over i realized , in the excitement of it i used my 30 yard pin . and it was on video to ,

The season is still long Bernie and to bad for the misfortune. Good luck and get back at it!

Thanks for the encouragement guys. I'll be back at it tomorrow; keeping my head up and trying to make the best of a tough situation.

Maybe belly dragger can’t say no....to donuts....

The miss may not be that bad, it the intrusion behind the bait while looking that will hurt the most.

I too messed up on a big bear the other night - nothing like belly dragger but comparable to the other bears on your bait. I watched it for about 20 minutes as it headed into the bait 13 times and then backed out. He kept heading northeast trying to get down wind of me. A large beaver pond prevents that from happening! In that time, he chased at least 2, maybe 3, other bears in the brush. On the 14th approach he committed to the bait. I waited for a slightly quartering away shot and sent an arrow out of my longbow. It hit too high and too forward - top of the shoulder area. I knew the shot was botched so I left and came back 2 hours later with a friend to track it. There was trackable blood but we determined the hit was most likely non-fatal as the arrow didn't penetrate the chest cavity. I went back Saturday morning with my dog and continued looking. What I saw in the daylight makes think it'll live. Sucks though!

It happens Bernie,

Its never a fun feeling though...Sorry Man

I hope you're right but that's kind of a stretch I think. Ya never know!

If you are patient and have the time,you will likely get another crack at him.

The hunt starts when you run out of bait

Any news Bernie?

It has been so hot and humid and thunderstorms the baits are all but dead right now. Should pick back up, although they are predicting more rain. Bizarre weather this year.

Any problem with things turning to moldy mess with wet humid?

Mac

Yes I have had to clean up the mess and start over on two baits, pulled the third. Right now most bear activity is mostly between midnight and daylight. It'll get back to normal when the weather settles down. This is supposed to be the last day of 80 degrees, hope they are right. We usually have our first frost by now!

don't give up Bernie keep trying.best of luck

About last night:

Way to go, Bernie! Nice bear! Thanks for taking us along!

Moosetrot

x2

Congrats!!

Awesome! Was fun to follow along and great to see your success.
Congratulations on your hard won trophy!

Nice one!
There’s proof that hard work and persistence pay off.
Congratulations!

Appreciate all the kind words and thanks for following along. Now it's time to grind up a bunch of sausage!

Nice bear and congratulations!
Thanks for sharing it was fun to follow along and see how you do things.
One quick question I have is why don't you cover your bait back up when you re-bait?
Thanks again!

Good job Bernie.

I've enjoyed the videos and learned a bunch. Thanks for sharing.

Is that Scarface?

Excellent! Thanks for all the effort to bring us along.

WS

Congratulations Bernie ! Thanks for taking us along on your adventure .

Great videos! Congratulations.

Jim

No just a nice bear, it was actually one I had passed up previously.

Good question. Usually I do cover it back up, but when I know I will be hunting that evening, I sometimes leave it open when the bears are real skittish. I think the visual of seeing fresh new bait there might overcome some of their caution.

Nuttn wrong with that bear.
I just got in a bearstand for the first time this year.
Nocked an arrow, opened up Tman and seen this thread.
Good omen?

Congratulations on a really nice bear and thanks for the fantastic videos! Great quality.

Congratulations on a well earned bear! Thanks for sharing your hunt.

Well Bernie ,you can sleep tonight. Congrats ! Very nice camera work ! Enjoyed all the videos very much. Just let us know if belly dragger comes into your dreams ...LOL .

Thumbs up, Bernie!

Get R dun!

Yes there are still some really big bears out there which will haunt me, but I'm sleeping well for now. Especially after getting a bear out of the woods and up late skinning and quartering it.

That was a nice shot...how far yah figure ?

Congratulation been fun watching.

Mac

Enjoyed the videos! Congrats on the bear!! You’ll have to come up to sask and help me run baits some time lol

Thank you for sharing Bernie. When you get lemons you make lemonade! Many times adjusting to the conditions is a very moral victory. Very educational for me as I am very limited in bear knowledge, but after showing those "hang up" spots I know I have seen those while grouse hunting in the past.

Bryce

I have hunted Saskatchewan a few times and I love it.

18 yards.

way to go Bernie.thanks for takeing us along.

Good Job Bernie

Now some videos of making bear sausage and other favorite cuts....Also ...where does the hide go ? Up to FHA , iam sure you have plenty of bear rugs..lol

I'm actually trading 5 bear hides for access to deer hunt in Nebraska this year. I have one bear rug and four mounts. That's enough. Probably.

I have done several videos on processing and making stuff out of bear meat: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLji1C9fBDe5M2RgcLC3tqiA_55J083lNd

Just seen the shot Bernie. Congrats and way to hang in there! Bear hunting is just way to much fun isn't it!!

I think baiting bear appeals to me so much for the same reasons I got addicted to trapping. You're going out trying to learn more about their behavior, trying to get them to come in an interact with your set, and seeing a bear bait all torn up is just like finding an animal in a trap. It's basically the same appeal. And then throw in the aspect of trail cameras and it takes it to a whole new level.

Some years- baiting was more fun than bear hunting!
Depends on the Natural foods and hunting pressure.

Well done. Way to stick with it Bernie!

Sorry to bring this post all the way to the top, but I just got around to doing the wrap-up video for the season and I talked about some of the things I did wrong and did right. Lessons learned. Enjoy and thansk for following along on this year's hunt it was fun to share more of the preparation with people than I have in the past. I will be doing the same thing on a bear hunt in Wyoming next August.

I didn't want to provide gps coordinates to use a barrel? Hunting no quota. The deer have been digging acorns in the woods, warmer weather should melt some of our snow.

I have just as much fun baiting as I do hunting them. As best I can tell, I'll never shoot another bear but I really enjoy baiting for friends who live too far away to do it themselves and/or for newbie hunters looking to get their first.

According to the news, we have 41 inches so getting into the 30s this weekend isn't going to help much. Deer are going to have a rough go of it, but at least they are pretty fat.